The United Methodist People Podcast

Indiana Area Bishop Julius Trimble joins Rev. Dr. Brad Miller on the recurring Be Encouraged segment on the United Methodist People Podcast. In Episode 50 the conversation centers around Leadership in a time of ambiguity in the United Methodist Church.

Bishop and Brad talk through the present state of affairs in the United Methodist Church in November of 2021 with the church still many months away from General Conference 2022 when some decisions may be made regarding addressing the conflict in the church over matters of human sexuality.

Bishop shares his experiences in The Council of Bishops and how there is a concerted emphasis among the episcopacy to embrace this defining time in our church in a more loving way.

A conversation was also had about how local church lay leaders and pastors can approach dramatic decisions around such matters as disaffiliation with a season of prayer and considering the impact such decisions would have on those in our local churches who would be excluded by the decisions made.

Be encouraged with Bishop Trimble is a regular segment on The United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller.

In January 2022 Bishop Julius Trimble will be launching his very own podcast "Be Encouraged" with Bishop Julius Trimble emphasizing his call to be a voice of encouragement to the church.

The purpose of The United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary and is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller an Elder in the Indiana Annual Conference.

https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/

On the Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius Trimble segment on Episode 049 of The United Methodist People Podcast with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller, the matter of Cration Care and Climate Justice are discussed in depth.

Rev. Dr. Miller and Bishop Trimble go from describing the existential environmental crisis at hand to the theological and biblical foundations for creation care to the pragmatic actions that local churches and individual United Methodist can take to be good stewards of the earth and show care for creation.

Special emphasis is given to the importance of listening to and acting with young people who are so invested in the preservation of the planet.

One such group is "Climate Justice for All."

Episode 049 is an important resource for the church which speaks to perhaps the greatest issue all people face, the threat to our very environment.

Climate Justice for All

https://worldmethodistcouncil.org/cj4a/

In Episode 48 of The United Methodist People Podcast, Indiana Area Bishop Julius Trimble talks to Rev. Dr. Brad Miller on his ongoing series "Be Encouraged" about his recent article "We Don't Give A Damn About the Poor."

Bishop Trimble offers his take on the apathy exhibited in government and much of society toward the plight of poor people borne out by the lack of action toward many measures legislatively and among communities toward services that seek to meet the needs of the poor.

Bishop Trimble talks about how personal freedoms do not exclude Christians from the biblical mandate and responsibility to serve the needs of the poor.

Moreover, Bishop Trimble gives an encouraging word of the good works that many churches have done in serving the needs of the poor which are tangible examples of what folk can do right now to actually "give a damn for the poor."

Bishop Trimble will be a regular guest on The United Methodist People Podcast with his message to "Be Encouraged."

https://www.inumc.org/bishop/we-dont-give-a-damn-about-the-poor/

In Episode 47 of “The United Methodist People Podcast,” Rev. Dr. Brad Miller engages in an in-depth conversation with three core leaders of The Room For All Coalition.  The Room For All Coalition was formed in the Indiana Annual Conference in 2019 as a response to decisions made at the 2019 General Conference which (RFA) considered destructive to the church by bringing harm to persons who identify as LGBTQ+ and their allies.

Alberto Hidalgo îs a layperson from the Broadway UMC in Indianapolis who became heartbroken when he saw the UMC make a decision that when against his passion regarding inclusivity in the church. He got involved with The Room for All Coalition and is was elected as a Jurisdictional delegate from the Indiana Annual Conference.

Rev. Mary Dicken is an ordained Deacon in the Indiana Conference of The United Methodist Church, currently serving at Meridian Street United Methodist Church in Indianapolis and previously serving churches throughout southern Indiana and in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She is passionate about connecting the church with the hurts and hopes of the world, creating space for sacred questions, and making room for people who have not always felt comfortable or welcome in the church.

Rev. Jerry Rairdon is the Lead Pastor of First UMC-Noblesville, Indiana. When the decisions at the 2019 General Conference troubled him to his soul he received a spiritual leading to do something about it. This leads him to become one of the founding members of The Room For All Coalition.

All three of these leaders shared their faith stories and how that lead them to become a part of The Room For All Coalition.

The conversation Brad had with RFA leaders dealt with an honest assessment of the state of the church including the uneasiness regarding the delay in the General Conference until 2022 and how the stress of not making a decision is problematic.

The discussion leads to the listening and learning the RFA has been doing with local churches and church folk which is a part of sharing and interpreting the agenda of RFA to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ folk.

The conversation concluded with a discussion by all parties on a vision and hope for the church moving forward.

Episode 47 of The United Methodist People Podcast is an important listen for any person wanting to understand the position of groups like the Room For All Coalition.

The United Methodist People Podcast has the mission of strengthening the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary. it is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller an Elder in the Indiana Annual Conference 

Mary Dicken [email protected]

Jerry Rairdon [email protected]

Alberto Hidalgo [email protected]

https://www.roomforallin.org/

https://www.facebook.com/RoomForAllIN

Seminary Students Rachel Haines and Mackenzie Phillips are Rev. Dr. Brad Miller’s guests on Episode 46 of The United Methodist People Podcast.

They spoke to Dr. Brad in-depth about college and seminary life and their perspectives on ministry in a time of the pandemic, social, political, and racial unrest and division in the United Methodist Church.

Rachel Haines is a 2018 graduate of Emory and Henry College in Virginia

and a student at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Mackenzie Phillips graduated from Hope College in Michigan in 2020 and is a student at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. She serves as Associate Pastor of High Street United Methodist Church in Muncie, Indiana.

Both women are from Ft Wayne Indiana and both are members of St Joseph’s UMC. They discussed the importance of their home church in their faith formation through youth groups and church camps.

Going deeper - the conversation led to how the students were experiencing diverse situations and people in their college and seminary experiences and exploring scriptural studies and developing their own personal ministry philosophy and theological perspective.

The students discussed women in ministry and the importance of understanding context and perspective in ministry settings and to really be good listeners.

They talked about the challenges of entering ministry during a time of the covid pandemic and the social, political, racial unrest that has pervaded every aspect of life the last year.

Moreover, they talked about entering the ministry in the United Methodist Church during a time of division in the church. They saw that this opened up opportunities to apply their gifts and graces to make an impact upon the world through their willingness to serve and face the challenges before them.

Indeed, they are choosing to see a lot of hope in the world and in the UMC as serving the church in new ways is now more needed than ever and they are called to look for the good in people and the church and the word.  

Episode 46 of The United Methodist People Podcast with Rachel Haines and Mackenzie Phillips is an absolute encouraging word to the church from our emerging leaders who are teaching us to always “do all the good we can.”

[email protected]

[email protected]

https://hainesrachel.weebly.com/

The Mission of The United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary and is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller an Elder in the Indiana Annual Conference. 

www.unitedmethodistpodcast.com

Episode 45 of The United Methodist People Podcast, with Rev. Dr. Brad Miller, features a conversation with Rev. Dr. Roger about his book “Comeback: Returning to the Life You Were Made For”

Roger is the Director of Church Excellence in the Missouri Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church and former pastor and church planter in Illinois. 

In this conversation, Brad and Ross talk about the factors which lead to the disaster of a fall be it personal or something out of our control like a worldwide pandemic or dissension in the church and respond to the fall in such a way as to find a way to come back better than ever.

Brad and Ross discuss five elements crucial to having a comeback and in particular, he advocates five transforming practices which when applied to your life can give you a practical and doing pathway to find your way to come back after a fall.

This conversation is a great foundation for using the book and the accompanying workbook to apply to your personal life and to teach in small group settings in the local church.

The book “Comeback: Returning to the Life You Were Made For”

 is available at Cokesbury, Amazon, and is published by Abingdon Press.

https://www.cokesbury.com/Come-Back-2?refq=roger%20ross

Roger Ross blogs a www.rogerross.online and is available for speaking, coaching, and consulting.

The United Methodist People Podcast is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller with the purpose of strengthening the connection in The United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary.

President Javier Viera from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Indiana Area Bishop Julius Trimble are Rev. Dr. Brad Miller's guests on Episode 44 of The United Methodist People Podcast for an in-depth conversation about seminary education in challenging times.

President Viera assumed leadership of the Evanston, Illinois campus on January 1, 2021, after serving on the faculty and administration of Drew University School of Theology. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Viera is the first person of color and the first Latino to hold the office of president in the seminary’s 167-year history.

President Viero spoke about his personal faith in Jesus Christ and his pathway which lead him to the Presidency at G-ETS prior to diving into a conversation about the challenges and opportunities in theological education in the present context of society and matters impacting the United Methodist Church.

President Viero quoted the Spanish poet Machado “making the road as we walk it” as descriptive of the situation facing seminaries. In particular, President Viera said “one of the things that that we are facing as a seminary is the fact that we're training people for a world that we do not yet fully understand, and that we aren't certain of what it will look like.”

He talked about theological education is a gift to the church because often the seminary is the place for engaging in dialogue and critical analysis of, of the brokenness of the world and wanting to be a part of, of the healing and the restoration, and resourcing the place of the church to lead in that regard.

The conversation led to a discussion of the purpose of graduate theological education itself. He concluded beyond academics in many ways seminary is a graduate school of leadership, and of public service, and of sending people out into the world to serve in those capacities.

This is a must listen to any United Methodist leaders invested and interested in the importance and future of seminary education.

Folks can learn more about President Javier Viera and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary at www.garrett.edu.

The mission of the United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the United Methodist Church through conversation and commentary and is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who is an active Elder in the Indiana Annual Conference of the UMC.

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller

March 2021

Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Two Bishops join Rev Dr. Brad Miller on Episode 043 of The United Methodist People Podcast.  

Bishop Julius Trimble of The Indiana Episcopal Area along with Bishop Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington Episcopal Area engages in an in-depth conversation on matters of peace and justice, racism, the Capitol insurrection of January 6, and the state of the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Easterling spoke of her personal experiences in dealing with the impact of the January 6 events in her community.  She talked about how she was taken aback but not surprised by the violence of that day. She talks about how the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference was prepared to respond to the violence as they had already experienced vandalism and violence at African American UMC’s in Washington DC during the Black Lives Matter gatherings of the summer.  

Bishop Easterling spoke a prophetic word about the power and meaningfulness of the word “truth” in such a time as this referring to the story of Moses and Aaron from Exodus 32.

Bishop Trimble spoke about the legacy of racism faced by baseball great Hank Aaron as well as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and the importance of taking the gospel seriously in a time when racism and other social ills have arisen.

Both Bishop’s spoke about the state of the United Methodist Church and how they maintain hope that the church will carry thought withy the biblical teaching to love God whole and seek to be whole.

This is an important episode worthy of the listener's time and attention.

The United Methodist People Podcast is published by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller. The purpose of The United Methodist People Podcast is to strengthen the connection in the Unit4ed Methodist Church through conversation commentary. 

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller

unitedmethodistpodcast.com

February 2021

Bishop LaTrelle Easterling

Baltimore-Washington Episcopal Area

https://www.bwcumc.org/about/bishops-office/

Bishop Julius Trimble

Indiana Episcopal Area

https://www.inumc.org/bishop/

Indiana Bishop Julius Trimble and Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, General Secretary of The United Methodist Board of Church and Society are Rev. Dr. Brad Miller’s guests on Episode 042 of The United Methodist People Podcast.

This episode centers around a United Methodist Response to the attempted coup and violent insurrection at the United States Capitol building January 6, 2021.

Bishop Trimble wrote an article entitled “A Letter to Martin Luther King, Jr” on the occasion of the MLK Holiday which spoke to the unrest in our country and the response of the United Methodist Church to the violence.

Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe wrote a statement on January 13, 2021 calling on the US Senate to impeach, convict and bar former president Trump from holding public office again.

In the discussion attention is given to a Christian and biblical understanding of peace, justice and righteousness. In particular lifting up MLK vision of “a beloved community” and rejecting “distorted Christianity” and “faith misappropriated.”  

Episode of 042 of the United Methodist People Podcast is helpful tool for any United Methodist Christian Clergy or Member looking to formulate your own response the disturbing events in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

January 2021

Rev. Dr. Brad Miller

The United Methodist People Podcast

United Methodist Podcast

General Secretary Calls to Bar President Trump from Public Office

Bishop Trimble's Letter to Martin Luther King, Jr